Toxicity of copper to the collembolan Folsomia fimetaria in relation to the age of soil contamination

The toxicity of copper to the collembolan Folsomia fimetaria L, was studied in soil incubated with copper sulfate for different periods before the int roduction of collembolans, to assess the effect of aging of contamination o n the toxicity of copper. Adult survival, reproduction, and juvenile size w ere assessed. No clear influence of differences in contamination age was de tected. The data were compared with results from a study performed in soil sampled at an old copper-contaminated site, Large differences in effects ex isted between spiked soil and field soil when concentrations were expressed on the basis of total soil copper concentrations. EC10 and EC50 values for reproduction in spiked soil were ca, 700 and 1400 mg Cu/kg soil, whereas n o effects were found in field soil at copper concentrations up to 2500 mg/k g, Most of the differences disappeared when effects were expressed as a fun ction of 0.01 M CaCl2-extractable soil copper. the lack of effects in field soil could be explained from the fact that in this field soil the CaCl2-ex tractable concentration was never higher than one-third of the EC50 estimat ed for tests in the laboratory spiked soils, (C) 2001 Academic Press.